Fret Not, You Righteous in the Lord!

Psalms 37:1-20

A Psalm of David.

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The LORD knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the LORD,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

The psalmist sang good counsel here to us all when faced with wicked men and women who come against us.  We can begin by not worrying about them, what they say or do to us.  It is not worth being envious of their temporary possessions or positions in life, for the unrighteous will soon be cut down and dry up because God only endures their sin for a time before enacting judgment in this life or the next.  He reminds himself and we the people of God to trust Him while we do what is good in God’s eyes instead of imitating those around us in retribution or defense.  We know that God’s faithfulness is sufficient as He provides for our needs even more than the birds around us (Matthew 6:26).  By finding our delight, our true joy deep down in our souls, we find His desires become our own.  By committing the direction of our lives to His way by faith, we find these come to fruition along with proof of His righteousness in us and His justice to vindicate us.  The advice then is to rest by faith in God’s providence and sovereign grace, not concerning ourselves with any temporary success of evildoers.  In patience we possess our lives in Christ (Luke 21:19).  Instead of imitating the ones around us who appear successful, we turn away from anger against them or our own imagined lack, and focus on the eternal treasures (Matthew 6:19-20).  Worrying only harms us.  Faith, trust in God’s goodness and provision, brings peace and rest.  The meek who trust Him will inherit the earth to come (Matthew 5:5) as they patiently endure and look forward to His coming.  Knowing that the evil will be cut off and the meek who rest in the Lord will be given such an inheritance, we delight ourselves in the overflowing peace He gives (Romans 5:1), no matter what evil is set against us.  The plotting of those opposed to God against us will come to nothing in the end, an eternal perspective giving strength to those suffering now.  The Lord will laugh at those who work against His people with such futility, knowing they all face the day of judgment He has set in stone to come.  The very evil plotting will come back on their own heads.  This is certain.  Therefore, the little a righteous one appears to have materially in this life is not the best life now, but is best because of the future inheritance in Christ.  These true riches uphold us.  The Lord knows who are His, and shall reward our trust.  The evildoers set against the Lord and His Anointed, and His people, will find due their recompense in everlasting shame.  They will vanish like smoke in the wind and dried up grass burned away.  But those who trust in God’s grace by faith in His work (John 6:29) will find eternal peace and rest.  Consider the end of those wickedly opposed to God (Psalm 73:1-3, 27-28).  May we rest in this hope as reflected in Psalm 73:23-24, 25-26.  Fret not!